Launching a new web app, a new site or a new design can be a nerve-wrecking moment. While web developers and designers try to find the best compromise between usability and freshness, it's hard for them to predict how users will react, what they will like or take issue with. A new site called Launchly aims to change all that by giving developers a chance to test their designs before launching them and allow outsiders with a fresh perspective to share their opinion.

Developers are encouraged to submit their projects and then wait for feedback from the community. Based on the suggestions they can make the changes necessary and resubmit an improved version of their web application. It is this “iteration” system that makes Launchly stand out. A week must pass between iterations but any new submission will be placed on top of the “New Launches” section giving the developers more exposure.

“When my own launch day came, I did the typical submissions and SEO stuff but still found myself wondering what people thought of the idea and site in general. I turned to HackerNews and requested feedback there,” Launchly founder Brian McManus said. Based on his own experience he introduced the iteration system allowing developers to stay in the public eye for longer but not lose all the previous feedback by having to create another submission for an application.

The service isn't free and at the moment there is a $40 package available for developers but other, more feature-rich and more expensive offers are planned. While the draw for developers is clear, the whole idea and the entire functionality rests on just one thing, the community. Without a large and engaged community to vote on the applications and offer comments or feedback the site is useless and, as of now, it isn't exactly clear what it intends to do to draw in the crowds.